Housing structure for an automatic firearm



p 1967 H. MENNEKING ETAL 3,343,457"

HOUSING STRUCTURE FOR AN AUTOMATIC FIREARM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 10, 1965 Hal/ nd: M

V WMZW Sept. 26, 1967 H. MENNEKING ETAL 3,343,457

HOUSING STRUCTURE FOR AN AUTOMATIC FIREARM Filed Dec. 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 9 United States Patent Claims. ci. 89-199) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic firearm having a brcechblock housing consisting of two mirror-image halves forming similar guide tracks for a breech and semi-cylindrical shell halves at the front ends of the housing halves to receive a barrel of the firearm with a sleeve surrounding the shell halves and tension means and a locking member to maintain the two mirror-image halves together.

The invention relates to automatic firearms, for example automatic cannons. In such weapons, which are frequently installed in vehicles, tank or armoured turrets and aircraft, dimensions and weight are generally of great, and frequently even decisive, importance, since the space available for installation is often limited. Moreover, the manufacture of the gun housing of automatic cannons generally involves very complicated and extensive machining work on large blocks of metal, so that high production costs result.

The object of the present invention is the provision of an automatic weapon, in particular an automatic cannon, which is economical to make, requires a comparatively small space for installation and is capable of rapid installation which can be carried out with simple tools.

An automatic weapon according to the invention has a housing divided in a vertical longitudinal central plane into two halves, the front ends of which receive the barrel of the weapon in such a manner that the barrel can be interchanged, the halves being held together by clamping means.

The relatively small dimensions which it is possible to obtain make a compact construction of the weapon housing possible. The halves of the housing may advantageously consist of drop forgings and in this way, extensive and costly milling work which is always necessary in the conventional method of manufacture is dispensed with, since the housing halves forged in a die require only simple and relatively little machining, in particular only the fitting and guide surfaces need machining.

The front end of the weapon housing which receives the barrel of the weapon advantageously consists of semicylindrical shell halves of the halves of the housing, which are clamped in a sleeve tightly embracing the shell halves. The sleeve may be shrunk on over the shell halves having been previously heated. The sleeve may advantageously also contain the necessary structural elements for receiving the breechblock drive, a closing spring housing and other elements.

If a weapon embodying the invention is intended to be gas-operated, then the bores and ducts required for the gas operation may advantageously be provided in the wall of the sleeve embracing the shell halves.

As a subsidiary feature of the invention, the halves of the housing are connected to one another by means of tension rods which assist in resisting transverse forces originating during firing in the region of the locking means for the breechblock. The tension rods may be shrunk ICC into place having been previously heated. In this way, an extremely rigid and compact construction is obtained, in conjunction with a comparatively small width of the weapon housing in the region of the locking means for the breechblock.

A further desirable subsidiary feature of a weapon housing embodying the invention is the connection to gether of the rear ends of the halves of the housing by a locking member suitable for taking up longitudinal and transverse forces and which is advantageously in the form of a hollow body which may also accommodate a buffer device.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a section on the line I-I of FIG. 2 of a gasoperated automatic cannon embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sections on the lines IIIIII and IV-IV of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a section on the line V-V in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

The housing of the cannon is divided in the vertical longitudinal central plane of the weapon and consists of two mirror-image housing halves 1 and 1 which have semi-cylindrical shell halves 2 and 2, respectively, at their front ends, i.e. the left-hand ends as seen in FIG. 1. The shell halves 2 and 2 receive the barrel of the weapon and are tightly clamped in a sleeve 4 which is shrunk on to the shell halves by heating it prior to installation on the shell halves. The shell halves receive the barrel 3 of the weapon and are formed in known manner with ridge-like teeth 5 which engage corresponding teeth on the barrel and hold the shell halves in position whilst permitting easy interchange of barrels when necessary.

Ducts 6 and bores 7 for a breechblock of the weapon actuated by the gas pressure and for an ammunition feed means (not shown) likewise operated by the gas pressure are provided in the wall of the sleeve 4. The sleeve 4 also supports a closing spring housing 8, which is fixed to the sleeve by means of screws. In addition, other structural elements may be provided on the sleeve, for example for holding ammunition feed means, this, however, not being shown in the drawing for the sake of clarity.

When automatic cannons are fired, considerable forces directed transversely of the axis of the bore frequently occur in the region of the locking means of the breech block. In order to resist such transverse forces, the halves of the housing are connected to one another by tension rods or anchors 9, which are let into corresponding recesses 10 in the halves of the housing.

At the rear end of the housing is located a locking member 11 in the form of a hollow body which embraces the rear edges 13 and 13' of the halves of the housing by means of two ridges 12 and 12' respectively. The locking member 11 serves also as a housing for a buffer device. The buffer forces acting in the longitudinal direction are transmitted to the halves 1 and 1 of the housing by way of shoulders 14, 14' provided on the locking member.

The halves 1 and 1 of the housing are drop forged workpieces, in which only the fitting and guide surfaces marked a, b, c, d in the drawing and those surfaces which serve to receive the locking member 11 require machining.

We claim:

1. An automatic firearm comprising a breechblock housing consisting of two mirror-image halves as similar guide tracks for a breechblock, semi-cylindrical shell halves at front ends of the housing halves to receive a barrel of the firearm, a sleeve surrounding the shell halves and which has a bore to tightly receive the shell halves, tension means provided around one end of the two mirror-image halves, and a locking member at the other end of the two mirror-image halves and having ridges which interfit with the other end of the two mirror-image halves, said locking member being adapted to reecive a butler device.

2. An automatic firearm according to claim 1, in which means are provided in the locking member to provide shoulders for the tWo mirror-image halves.

3. An automatic firearm as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising a breechblock drive, and a return spring housing accommodated in said sleeve.

4. An automatic firearm as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising bores and ducts forming part of gasoperated power means, said bores and ducts being located in the wall of said sleeve.

5. An automatic firearm as claimed in claim 1 in which said sleeve is mounted upon the housing halves and then shrunk into position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,290,855 1/1919 Wesson 4275 X 1,401,667 12/1921 Brown.

3,009,396 "11/1961 Dixon 89191 3,282,166 11/1966 Maillard 89-191 3,289,535 12/1966 Hupp 89191 FOREIGN PATENTS 749,430 5/ 1956 Great Britain.

It BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATIC FIREARM COMPRISING A BREECHBLOCK HOUSING CONSISTING OF TWO MIRROR-IMAGE HALVES AS SIMILAR GUIDE TRACKS FOR A BREECHBLOCK, SEMI-CYLINDRICAL SHELL HALVES A FRONT ENDS OF THE HOUSING HALVES TO RECEIVE A BARREL OF THE FIREARM, A SLEEVE SURROUNDING THE SHELL HALVES AND WHICH HAS A BORE TO TIGHTLY RECEIVE THE SHELL HALVES, TENSION MEANS PROVIDED AROUND ONE END OF THE TWO MIRROR-IMAGE HALVES, AND A LOCKING MEMBER AT THE OTHER END OF THE TWO MIRROR-IMAGE HALVES AND HAVING RIDGES WHICH INTERFIT WITH THE OTHER END OF THE TWO MIRROR-IMAGE 